China is one of the countries with the oldest historical cultures in the world. Particularly, the feudal system lasting over 2,000 years has had a tremendous impact on the spiritual and cultural life of this nation.
Since the early days when the Qin Dynasty unified China, Qin Shi Huang, the “first emperor of all time”, spent an unimaginable amount of manpower and resources to construct his mausoleum. The afterlife became a mysterious realm haunting the living, from noble lords to the destitute, all striving to achieve a peaceful resting place after death.
The Eastern Qing Tombs. (Source: Sohu).
Upon ascending to the throne, the first thought of each emperor was to begin constructing their own mausoleum. The mausoleum is one of the symbols of the power and prestige that the emperor holds. Over the course of hundreds and thousands of years, each dynasty formed a complex of royal tombs with unique historical, cultural, and architectural marks.
These areas are considered extremely sacred sites, meticulously cared for and guarded. The court also had specific officials responsible for building and maintaining the tombs, who were also in charge of burying the tombs of royal family members, ultimately guarding the mausoleums until the end of their lives.
The Qing Dynasty was the last feudal dynasty in China. Many tombs from this dynasty are still preserved almost intact today. The Eastern Qing Tombs is a royal mausoleum complex of the Qing Dynasty located in Shunhua, Tangshan, Hebei Province, about 125 km northeast of Beijing.
This is the largest, most complete, and best-preserved mausoleum complex in China. The Eastern Qing Tombs is the resting place of five emperors: Shunzhi, Kangxi, Qianlong, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi, along with 15 empresses, 136 concubines, 3 princes, and 2 princesses. This complex is surrounded by mountain ranges and spans an area of 80 square kilometers.
The Eastern Qing Tombs is a royal mausoleum complex of the Qing Dynasty.
The center of the Eastern Qing Tombs is the Qingxiao Mausoleum, the tomb of Emperor Shunzhi (1638-1661) – the first Qing emperor to enter the capital (the first Manchu emperor to officially step into Beijing after overthrowing the Han Ming Dynasty). He was also the first to be buried at the Eastern Qing Tombs.
For nearly 300 years, the Eastern Qing Tombs have always been protected and cared for by court officials. So when the Qing Dynasty collapsed, who would take care of it?
The Tomb Guardians
After the collapse of the Qing feudal dynasty, most of the remaining royal family members had to live in hiding in Tibet, while a few had to carefully disguise their identities to live under the scrutiny of the public. The living could hardly take care of themselves, let alone the dead.
However, astonishingly, the tombs at the Eastern Qing Tombs have been guarded throughout the years. This special profession of tomb guardians has somehow been passed down to the present day, 108 years after the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Who has been paying for these tomb guardians?
An image of a Qing tomb guardian captured. (Source: Sohu).
When the Qing Dynasty was still in power, the salaries of the tomb guardians were directly paid by the court. After the Qing was overthrown, they had to turn to the new authorities; the Nationalist Government at that time decided to continue this operation.
Eventually, when the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, to preserve the cultural historical site of the Eastern Qing Tombs, the new government took on the responsibility of caring for the mausoleum. Thus, the guardianship of the Eastern Qing Tombs has continued for over a century amidst the tumult of history.
Protecting the mausoleum of the Qing Dynasty is a highly respected profession. Once one becomes a tomb guardian, they must live near the mausoleum for life. They also have to choose a successor to inherit their responsibilities before they die.
In some Chinese novels and legends, tomb guardians either possess mysterious abilities or live very hard lives. However, in reality, tomb guardians during the Qing Dynasty lived better than most people.
Being chosen as a tomb guardian is not an easy task. The first requirement is to have pure Manchu blood.
Once selected, they are essentially considered seventh-rank officials, receiving full support for their daily essential needs. In prosperous years, the number of guards at a royal mausoleum could reach up to 3,000, enough to form a small army.
